captioning sponsored by cbs >> this country has a bright future. on to new hampshire. we didn't win by a lot but we won by enough and t's al (wfts.ecl) that counts the next vice president of the united states, paul ryan. >> where are the jobs, mr. president? >> i've learned some of the things that can help get america strong again and help the people of america. >> the next president of the united states, governor mitt romney. >> america's greatest days are yet ahead. >> campaign 2012. the republican national convention. from tampa, florida, here is scott pelley. >> pelley: good evening, from the tampa bay times forum, home ni hockey's tampa bay lightning, and this week home of some

republican thunder. earlier this evening, the republican delegates nominated mitt romney to be president of the united states and paul ryan vice president. romney accompanied his wife, anne, to the forum tonight and will watch her address to the convention in just a few minutes. oen governor chris christie of new jersey will try to stir up the crowd with the keynote speech. joining me in our coverage is bob schieffer and at the podium and down on the convention floor, our cbs news campaign 2012 team. but right now, we want to get the latest on the storm that delayed this convention by one day, hurricane isaac made landfall just over two hours ago in louisiana, southeast of new orleans. byron pitts is there. byron. >> reporter: scott, there are already reports of more than 160,000 homes in new orleans without power tonight. the big concerns this evening-- power outages, flooding, and storm surge, especially in low-lying communities south of

w orleans, like plaquemines parish. and for new orleans, the city is protected by a $14.6 billion levee system put into place evter hurricane katrina seven years ago. the expectations are new orleans should do okay. but, scott, that's the expectation. we should learn the truth when the sun comes up. >> pelley: isaac coming .shore. byron, thank you. coming up next, here in tampa, the person who knows mitt romney better than anyone, his wife of 43 years, anne romney. we'll be right back. he wings. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future

that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. convention in a moment. bob schieffer, we have a new cbs news poll out today. it shows that about a third of voters have an unfavorable opinion of her husband, but another third have no opinion at

all. this is a big opportunity for the campaign tonight. >> reporter: yes, that's why this is so crucial that the republicans begin to get their message out. i mean, think about it. mitt romney has been running for a couple of years now. we who follow politics think people follow this stuff minute by minute. they don't. fully one-third, one american in three has told our pollsters that they don't know enough about him to have an opinion. that really puts the pressure on every speaker who comes before this convention. >> pelley: the spotlight is on them now. norah o'donnell is down at the podium on the convention floor, and, norah, what does ann romney have to accomplish tonight? f reporter: well, the job for ann romney is to help bolster her husband's likeability. you were talking about that poll where a third of americans say they don't know enough about mitt romney. so you're going to hear ann romney tonight talk about the personal, her husband of 43 years, the father of her five sopgz, the grandfather to 18

grand kids. she's going to talk about her own personal struggles. she suffers from multiple sclerosis, has for 14 years. she fought breast cancer, and mao mitt stood by her side, that she trusts him, and, therefore, the american people should trust him. scott, that's really important. mitt romney has to pass the trust threshold with the american people. mitt romney's advisers acknowledge that. we know half americans in our own polls say they don't believe mitt romney understands the problems they face. look for ann romney to try to sort of fill that out tonight. she says it will be a very heartfelt speech. she talks about their love story, their marriage. this is a speech, she says, she wrote her. herself. >> pelley: ann romney marriedt age of 19. he is three years older than she is. she said she can count the number of times they've had an argument on one finger.

jan crawford is on the floor. jan, you were flying down here today with the romneys. what did ann romney tell you about the speech? >> reporter: she talked about her speech, scott. she said it was from the heart, and what she hoped to communicate to the american people, this was an important election, and they needed to base their vote on the right reason, but for the campaign, this is a lot about connecting with women voters. in the poll you talked about, there's another big number, and it is 10-- that is what the president now leads mitt romney by among women voteres, and the campaign believes ann romney's story tonight can show women ask connect her husband to that critical, critical vote. >> pelley: jan, thank you very much. john dickerson, our political director, is on the convention floor as well. john, jan just told us romney is behind the president 10 percentage points in terms of his support from women.

that is not atypical of what you have in a republican candidate at this point in time typically. how does the campaign intend to make that up? >> reporter: well, this is the beginning of a conversation. ann romney's not going to sort of solve the whole problem with women right away but here's how they hope it will work. she will speak tonight and tomorrow in a break room at work or the pickup line at a school. she will-- some woman will talk about a story that ann romney told, and that story will connect with her life, and in another conversation she has with a friend, that friend will recognize something of their own experience in what ann romney said. and so, that beginning conversation will start to make mitt romney more approachable, something that someone with whom women can connect through his wife. >> pelley: john, thank you. bill whitaker is our roving correspondent down on the floor, making his way among the delegates, and he has made his way over to the michigan delegation, the home state of ann and mitt romney. ad reporter: scott, the road

here to tampa has been a rough one for governor mitt romney, a bruise are primary fight, trying to win the love of the republican party. and even now on this floor, there are some factions, the tea party, fiscal keaftz, the social conservatives, who it will be governor romney's job to have them all singing off the same song big book. they will tell you despite their differences they will all be united behind mitt romney, with the hope and prospect of unseating president barack oba obama. >> pelley: bill, thank you very much. bob schieffer, as we mentioned a moment ago, the president 10 percentage points behind-- i should say, mitt romney 10 percentage points behind the president among women. do they have to make up that entire deficit in order to win the election? >> reporter: no, i think that would be unrealistic. you know, republican candidates, there's always been this gender gap. men tend to like the

republicans, women tend to like the democrats. but i think if they could just cut it down, they would be satisfied. but ann romney is, i would say, tte best advocate that mitt romney has. and what's interesting about that, you know, 1984, after he ran again john-- ted kennedy and was beaten in that senate race, somebody asked ann romney, "will you ever go through this again?" she said, "no away." she said, "you couldn't pay me to do this again." but if we are to believe what campaign tells us, when mitt romney decided to run for president, he asked her, and she said, "do you think you can make a difference?" he said, "i really do." and she said, "go for it." very much like laura bush who had made a speech until george bush ran for president. ynn romney has come to be a very good advocate.

she's very good, and i think this convention expects a really good speech from her tonight. >> pelley: i had a chance to speak with her in michigan a couple of days ago and she told us she has done a lot of public speaking and has always written the speech itself and never used a teleprompter but the party insisted on having a speechwriter and insisted on her using a teleprompter because they want to keep her to time. they want to make sure this is time managed portfolio another thing that came out in the cbs news poem is that the race for president is still essentially tied. president obama was ahead by 46%, and romney had 45%. now, at this moment, we have ann romney walking out on the stage, to the expected tumultuous applause. ( applause ) norah o'donnell, how does it look down there from the edge of the podium? >> reporter: there are 4,400

delegates from across the country all of them on their feet to greet ann romney, the wife of mitt romney, the man they nominated today. this, of course, kick off three days of convention, and i have to tell you, the romney advisers that i've spoken with think that this convention is critical. you talked about how static this race has been, despite almost half a billion dollars in television ads already. mitt romney has got to change the dynamic in this race if he wants to win. and that means... >> pelley: let's listen to ann romney now. >> thank you, and i can't wait to see what we're all going to do together. this is going to be so exciting! ( cheers and applause ) just so you all know, the hurricane has hit landfall and i think we should all take this moment and recognize that fellow americans are in its path and

just hope and pray that all remain safe and no life is lost and no property is lost. so we should all be thankful for this great country and grateful for our first responders, and all that keep us safe in this wonderful country. ( applause ) well, i want to talk to you tonight, not about politics and not about party, and while there are many important issues we'll hear discussed in this convention and throughout this campaign, tonight, i want to talk to you from my heart about our hearts. >> we love you, ann! ( cheers and applause ) >> i want to talk not about what divide us but what holds us together as an american family. i want to talk to you tonight

about that one great thing that unites us, that one great thing that brings us our greatest joy when times are good, and the deepest solace in our dark hours. tonight, i want to talk to you about love. i want to talk to you about the deep and abiding love i have for a man i met at a dance many years ago. and the profound love i have and i know we share for this country. i want to talk to you about that love so deep, only a mother can fathom it, the love we have for our children and our children's children. and i want us to think tonight about the love we share for those americans, our brothers and our sisters, who are going through difficult times, whose days are never easy, nights are always long, and whose work

never seems done. they're here among us tonight in this hall. they are here in neighborhoods across tampa and all across a.erica. the parents who lie weak at night side by side, wondering how they'll be able to pay the mortgage or make the rent. the single dad who is work extra hours tonight so that his kids can buy some new clothes to go back to school, can take a school trip or play a sport, so his kids can feel, you know, just like other kids. and the working moms who love their jobs but would like to work just a little less to spend more times with the kids, but that's just out of the question with this economy. or how about that couple who would like to have another child but wonder how they'll afford it. i have been all across this country, and i know a lot of you guys. ( applause ) ( cheering ) and i have seen and heard stories of how hard it is to get

ahead now. you know what? i've heard your voices. they said to me, "i'm running in place and we just can't get ahead." sometimes i think that late at night, if we were all silent for just a few moments and listen carefully, we could hear a collective sigh from the moms and dads across america who made it through another day and know that they'll make it through another one tomorrow. but in the end of that day moment, they just aren't sure how. and if you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sigh a little bit more than the men. it's how it is, isn't it? it's the moms who have always had to work a little hard tore make everything right. it's the moms of this nation-- single, married, widow-- who really hold this country together. we're the motheres, we're the wives, we're the grandmothers, we're the big sisters, wert little sisters, and we are the

daughters. ouu know it's true, don't you? ( cheers and applause ) i love you women! and i hear your voices. those are my favorite fans down there. you are the ones that have to do a little bit more, andun what it's like to work a little harder during the day to earn the respect you deserve at work, and then you come home at night and help with the book report, just because it has to be done. you know what those late-night phone calls from an elderly parent are like and the long weekend drives just to see how they're doing. you know the fastest route to the local emergency room and which doctor answers the phone call when you call at night. by the way, i know all about that. you know what it's like to sit in that graduation ceremony and

wonder how it was that so many long days turned to years that went by so quickly. you are the best of america. ( applause ) you are the hope of america. there would not be an america without you. tonight, we salute you and sing your praises. ( cheers and applause ). i'm not sure if men really understand this, but i don't think there's a woman in america who really expects her life to be easy. in our own ways, we all know better. un what, fine? we don't want easy. but the last few years have been harder than they needed to be. it's all the little things. the price at the pump you just can't believe. the grocery bills that just get

bigger. all those things that use to be free, like school sports, are one more bill to pay. it's the little things that pile up to be the big things, the big things, the good job, the chance at college, that home you want to buy, just gets harder. everything has become harder. we're too smart to know there aren't easy answers but we're not dumb fluff to accept that there aren't better answers. ( applause ) and that is where this boy i met at a high school dance comes in. his name is mitt romney, and you should really get to know him. ( cheers and applause ) i could tell you why i fell in love with him. he was tall, laughaise lot. he was nervous. girls like that. it shows a guy's a little intimidated. he was nice to my parents but he

was also really glad when they weren't around. ( laughter ) i don't mind that, but more than h.ything, he made me laugh. some of you might not know this, but i am the granddaughter of a welsh coal miner. ( applause ) he was determined -- he was determined that his kids get out of the mines. my dad got his first job when he was six years old in a little village in wales, cleaning bottles at the collier's arms. when he was 15, dad came to america. in our country, he saw hope and opportunity to escape from poverty. he moved to a small town in the great state of michigan. ( cheers and applause ) michigan! there he started a business, one he built by himself, by the way. ( applause )

he raised a family, and he became mayor of our town. my dad would often remind me brothers and me how fortunate we were to grow up in a place like america. he wanted us to have every opportunity that came with life in this country, so he pushed us to be our best and give our all. inside the houses that lined the streets of our town, there were a lot of good fawgz teaching their sons and daughters those same values. i didn't know it at the time, but one of those dads was my future father-in-law, george romney. ( applause ) mitt's dad never graduated from college. instead, he became a carpenter. he worked hard. he became the head of a car company, and then the governor of michigan. when midand i met and fell in love, we were determined not let anything stand in the way of our life together. i was an episcopalian. he was a mormon. we were very young. both still in college. there were many reasons to delay marriage, and you know what?

we just department care. didn't care. we got married and moved into a basement apartment. ( applause ) we walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a lot of pasta and tuna fish. our desk was a door propped up on saw horses. our dining room table was a fold-down ironing board in the kitchen. but those were the best days. then, our first son came along. all at once, i'm 22 years old with a baby and a husband who is going to business school and law school at the same time, and i can tell you, probably like every other girl who finds herself in a new life far from family and friends, with a new baby and a new husband, that it copied on mdawned on me that i d absolutely no idea what i was getting into. ( laughter ) well, that was 42 years ago.

i survived. we now have five songs, and 18 beautiful grandchildren. i'm still in love with that boy i met at a high school dance, and he still makes me laugh. ( applause ) i read somewhere that mitt and i have a storybook marriage. ngll, let me tell you something, in the storybooks i read, there never were long, long rainy winter afternoons in a house with five boys screaming at once. and those storybooks never seemed to have a chapter called "m.s." or "breast cancer." a storybook marriage? nope, not at all. what mitt romney and i have is a real marriage. ( cheers and applause ).

int >> i know this good and decent man for what he is. he is warm and loving and patient. he has tried to live his life with a set of values centered on fellow maanth, and love of one's from the time we were first married i've seen him spe i've seen him drop everything to help a friend in trouble, and been there when late-night calls of panic come from a member of our church whose child has been taken to the hospital pup may not agree with mitt's positions on issues or hit politics-- by the way, massachusetts is only 13% republican so it's not like it's a shock to me-- ( laughter ) but, but, let me say this to every american who is thinking about who should be our next president. no one will work harder, no one will care more, and no one will

move heaven and earth like mitt romney to make this country a better place to live. ( cheers and applause ). ( cheers and applause ) it's true-- it's true that mitt has been successful at each new challenge he's taken on. you know what? it actually amazes me to see his history of success being edtacked. are those really the values that

made our country great? >> no! >> as a mom of five boys, do we want to raise our children to be afraid of success? >> no. >> do we send our children out in the world with the advice, try to do okay?" >> no! >> and let's be honest, if the last four years had been more successful, do we really think there would be an attack on mitt romney's success? >> no! >> of course not. mitt would be the first to tell you he is the most fortunate man in the world. he had two loving parents who gave him strong values and taught him the value of work. he had the chance to get the education his father never had. but as his partner on this amazing journey, i can tell you mitt romney was not handed success. he built it. ( cheers and applause ).

>> let's go, mitt! let's go, mitt! let's go, mitt! let's go, mitt. >> he stayed in massachusetts after graduate school got a job. i saw long hours that started with that first job. i was there when he had a small group of friends talking about starting a new company. i was there when they struggled, and wondered if the whole idea just wasn't going to work. mitt's reaction was to work harder and press on. today, that company has become another great american success story. has it made those who started the company successful? made them successful beyond their dreams? yes, it has. it allowed us to give our sons the chance at good educations and make all those long hours of book reports and homework worth every minute. it's givenul the deep satisfaction of being able to help others in waysa we could

never have imagine. this is important. i want to you hear what i'm going to say. mitt doesn't like to talk about how he has helped others because he sees it as a privilege, nota political talking point. ( applause ) we are no different than the millions of americans who quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their communities. they don't do it so others will think more of them. they do it because there is no greater joy. give, and it shall be given unto you. ( cheers and applause ).

but because this is america, that small company which grew has helped so many others lead better lives, the jobs that grew from the risks they took have become college educations and first homes. that success has helped fund scholarships, pensions, and retirement funds. this is the genius of america. dreams fulfilled, help others launch new dreams. ( cheers and applause ) at every turn in his life, this man i met at a high school dance has helped lift up others. he did it with the olympics when many wanted to give up. he did it in massachusetts where he guided the state from economic crisis to unemployment of 4.7%. under mitt, massachusetts' schools were the best in the nation, the best. ( applause )

he started the john and abigail adams scholarship which dpifs the top 25% of high school graduates a four-year, tuition-free scholarship. ( applause ) this is the man america needs. ( applause ) this is the man who will wake up every day with a determination to solve the problems that others say can't be solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair. this is the man who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little less hard. i can't tell you what will happen over the next four years, but i can only stand here tonight as a wife and a mother and a grandmother, an american, and make you this solemn commitment-- this man will not fail. ( cheers and applause ).

this man will not let us down. this man will lift up america. it has been 47 years since that tall, kind of charming young man brought me home from our first dance. not every day since has been easy, but he still makes me laugh and never once did i have a single reason to doubt that i was the luckiest woman in the world tonight. i said tonight i wanted to talk to you about love. look into your hearts. this is our country. this is our future. these are our children and

grandchildren. you can trust mitt. ( cheers and applause ) he loves america. he will take us to a better place just as he took me home safely from that dance. give him that chance. give america that chance. god bless each and every one of you, and god bless the united states of america. ( cheers and applause ). >> pelley: few candidates for office are lucky enough to have a spouse this comfortable speaking before a national audience. and there is governor romney

joining his wife on the stage. ( cheers and applause ) all five romney sons are in the audience tonight. ann romney, 63 years old, once nearly bedridden by multiple sclerosis, has wowed this crowd tonight. bob schieffer, what did you make of that speech? clearly, an appeal to women across the country. >> reporter: wow, just what you said, that was a speech. and i'll tell you, chris christie is going to have to make a speech if he's going to win first prize tonight. that was a fine speech. she took her own life, she took personal anecdotes and welded it into a presentation that made

the point she wanted to make. i think the headline is going to be, "his name is mitt romney and you should get to know him," because if anybody can do better than she did to do that tonight, i want to hear them say it. that was one heck of a speech. >> pelley: well, governor chris christie of new jersey, is going to make an attempt to do better with the keynote address? just a few minutes. we'll be back after this.

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[ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's largest 4g network. covering 2,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. at&t. rethink possible. covering 2,000 more 4g cities and towns than verizon. convention. chris christie, the governor of new jersey, is just beginning his keynote address. >> this stage and this moment are very improbable for me. a new jersey republican.

delivering the keynote address to our national convention. ( applause ) from a state, from a state with 700,000 more democrats than republicans. a new jersey republican stands before you tonight proud of my party, proud of my state, and proud of my country. ( cheers and applause ) now, now i am the son of an irish father and a sicilian mother. my dad who i'm blessed to have here with me tonight, is gregarious, outgoing, and lovable. my mom, who i lost eight years ago, was the enforcer. ( laughter ) now, she made sure we all knew who set the rules. tells it to thu way-- in the

automobile of life, dad was just a passenger. mom was the driver. ( applause ) now, they both lived hard lives. dad grew up in poverty. and after returning from army service, he worked at the breyer's ice cream plant in the 1950s. now with that job and the g.i. bill he put himself through rutger's university at night to become the first in his family to earn a college degree. ( applause ) and our first family picture, our first family picture was on his graduation day with my mom beaming next to him six months pregnant with me. now, mom also came from nothing. she was raised by a single mother who took three different buses every day to get to work, and mom spent the time that she was supposed to be a kid actually raising children, her

younger brother and younger sister. she was takeoff as nails and didn't suffer fools at all, and the truth was she couldn't afford to. she spoke the truth, bluntly, directly, and without much varnish. i am her son. ( applause ) i was her son-- i was her son as i listened to darkness on the edge of town with my high school friends on the jersey shore. i was her son when i moved into that studio apartment with mary pat to start a marriage that's now 26 years old. ( applause ) i was her son as i coached our sons, andrew and patrick, on the field, and as i watched with pride as our daughters sarah and bridget, marched with their soccer teams in the labor day parade. and i'm still her son today as

governor, following the rules she taught me to speak from the heart and to fight for your principles. you see, mom never thought you'd get extra credit just for speak the truth. and the greatest lesson that mom ever taught me, though, was this one-- she told me there would be times in your life when you have to choose between being loved and being respected. now, she said to always pick being respected. she told me that love without respect was always fleeting, but that respect could grow into real and lasting love. now, of course she was talking about women. ( laughter ) but, but i've learned over time that it applies just as much to leadership. in fact, i think that advice applies to america more than ever today. ( applause ) you see, see, i believe we have

become paralyzed, paralyzed by our desire to be loved. now, our founding fathers had the wisdom to know that social acceptance and popularity were fleeting, and that this country's principles need to be rooted in strengths greater than the passions and emotions of the times. but our leaders today have decided it's more important to be popular, to be popular, to say and do what's easy and say yes rather than to say no when no is what is required. ( cheers and applause ) in recent years, in recent years, we as a country have too often chosen the same path. it's been easy for our leaders to say, "not us, not now." in taking on the really tough issues. and, unfortunately, we've stood silently by and let them get away with it. but tonight, i say, enough. tonight, tonight i say together

let's make a much different choice. tonight, we are speaking up for ourselves and stepping up. tonight we're beginning to do what is right and what is necessary to make america great again. ( cheers and applause ) we are demanding that our leaders stop tearing each other down and work together to take action on the big things facing america. tonight, we're going to do what my moth taught me. tonight we're going to choose respect and love. ( applause ) see, we're not afraid. we are not afrayed. we're taking our country back because we are the great-grandchildren of the men and women who pok brokes their s in the name of more than ingenuity, the grandchildren of the greatest generation, the

rans and daughters immigrants, the brothers and sisters of everyday heroes, the neighbors of entrepreneurs and firefighters, teachers and farmers, veterans and factory workers, and everyone in between who shows up not just on the big days or the good days but on the bad days and the hard days, each and every day, all 365 of them. you see, we are the united states of america. ( cheers and applause ) now, now, now, it's up to us. we must lead the way our citizens live, to lead as my mother insisted i live, not by avoiding truths, especially the hard ones, but by facing up to them and being better for it. we can't afford to do anything

less. i know this because this was the challenge in new jersey when i came into office. i could continue on the same path that led to wealth and jobs and people leaving our state, or i could do the job people elected me to do, to do the big things. now, there were those who said it couldn't be done, that the problems were too big, too politically charged, and too broken to fix. but we were on a path we could no longer afford to follow. now, they said it was impossible-- this is what they told me-- to cut taxes in a state where taxes were raised 115 times in 115 times in the eight years before i became governor. that it was impossible to balance the budget at the same time with an $11 billion deficit, but three years later, we have three balanced budgets in a row, with lower taxes. we did it. ( cheers and applause )

they said-- they said it was impossible to touch the third rail of politics, to take on the public sector unions ask to reform a pension and health benefit system that was headed tcy.ankruptcy. but with bipartisan leadership, we saved taxpayers $132 billion over 30 years and saved retirees their pensions. we did it. ( applause ) they said-- they said it was impossible to speak the truth to the teacherss' union. they were just too powerful. a real techer tenure reform that demands accountability and ends the guarantee of job for a life regardless of performance. they said it would never happen. but for the first time in 100 years with bipartisan support, you know the answer-- we did it.

( cheers and applause ) now the disciples of yesterday's politics, they always underestimate the will of the people. they assumed our people were selfish, that when told of the difficult problems, the tough choices, and the complicated solutions, that they would simply turn their backs, that they would decide it was every man for himself. they were wrong. the people of new jersey stepped up. they shared in the sacrifice. and you know what else they did? they rewarded politicians who led instead of politicians who pandered. ( cheers and applause ) but, you know, we shouldn't be surprised, we shouldn't be surprised. we've never been a country to

shy away from the truth. our history shows that we stand up when it counts, and it's this quality that has defined america's character and our significance in the world. now, i know this simple truth, and i am not afraid to say it-- our ideas are right for america, and their ideas have failed america. ( cheers and applause ) let me be clear with the american people tonight. here's what we believe as republicans and what they believe as democrats. we believe in telling hard-work families the truth about our country's fiscal realities, telling them what they already know-- the math of federal spending does not add up. with $5 trillion in debt added over the last four years, we have no other options but make the hard choices -- cut federal

spending and fundamentally reduce the size of this government. ( cheers and applause ). want to know what they believe? they believe that the american people don't want to hear the truth about the extent of our fiscal difficulties. they believe the american people need to be coddled by big government. they believe the american people are content to live the lie with them. they're wrong. we believe in telling our seniors the truth about our over-burdened entitlements. we know seniors not only want these programs to survive but they just as badly want them secured for their grandchildren. our seniors are not selfish. ( applause ) here's what they believe. they believe seniors will always put themselves ahead of their grandchildren. and here's what they do-- they

prey on their vulnerabilities and scare them with misinformation for the single, cynical purpose of winning the next election. here's their plan-- whistle a happy tune while driving us off the fiscal cliff. as long as they are behind the wheel of power when we fall. ( applause ) we believe that the majority of teachers in america know our system must be reformed to put students first so america can compete. teaches don't teach to become rich or famous. they teach because they love children. we believe-- ( applause ) we believe that we should honor and reward the good ones while doing what's best for our nation's future, demanding akoibility, demanding higher standards and demanding the best teacher in every classroom in america. ( cheers and applause ).

get ready, get ready. here's what they believe. they believe the educational establishment will always put themselves ahead of children. that self-interest will always trump common sense. they believe in pitting unions against teaches educators against parentes, lobbyists against children. they believe in teachers' unions. we believe in teachers. ( cheers and applause ) we believe, we believe that if we tell the people the truth that they will act bigger than the pettiness we see in washington, d.c. we believe it's possible to forge bipartisan compromise and stand

up for our conservative principles. ( cheers and applause ) you see, because it's always been the power of our ideas, not our rhetoric, that attracts people to our party. we win when we make it about what needs to be done. we lose when we play along with their game of scaring and dividing. ( cheers and applause ). make no mistake about it, everybody, the problems are too big. to let the american people lose. the slowest economic recovery in deck earkdz a spiraling out-of-control deficit, and an education system that's failing to compete in the world. it doesn't matter how we got here. there's enough blame to go around. what matters is what we do now. see, i know, i know we can fix our problems. when there are people in the room who care more about doing

the job they were elected to do than worry about winning reelections, it's possible to work together achieve principle compromise and get results for the people who gave us these jobs in the first place. ( cheers and applause ) the people have no patience for any other way any more. it's simple-- we need politicians to care more about doing something and less about being something. ( applause ) and believe me, believe me, if we can do this in a blue state like new jersey with a conservative republican governor, washington, d.c. is out of excuses. ( cheers and applause )

leadership delivers. leadership counts. leadership matters. and here's the great news i came here tonight to bring you-- we have this leader for america. we have a nominee who will tell us the truth and who will lead with conviction, and now he has a running mate who will do the same. we have governor mitt romney and congressman paul ryan and we need to make them the next president and vice president of the united states! ( cheers and applause ) see, you see, because i know mitt romney. i know mitt romney, and mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to put us back on a path to growth and create good-paying private sector jobs again in america. mitt romney will tell us the

hard truths we need to hear to end the torrent of debt that is compromising our future and corying our economy. mitt romney will tell us the hard truths we need to hear to end the debacle of putting the world's greatest health care system in the hands of federal bureaucrats and putting those bureaucrats between an american citizen and her doctor. ( cheers and applause ) now we ended an era of absentee leadership without purpose or principle in new jersey. i'm here to tell you tonight, it is time to end this era of absentee leadership in the oval office and send real leader backs to the white house. america needs mitt romney and paul ryan and we need them right now! ( cheers and applause )

we've got to tell each other the truth, right? listen, there is doubt and fear for our future in every corner of our country. i have traveled all over the country and i've seen this myself. these feelings are real. this moment is real. it's moments like this where some skeptics wonder if america's greatness is over. they wonder how those who came before us had the spirit and tenacity to lead america to the new era of greatness in the face of challenge, not to look around and say, north me." but to look around and say, "yes, me." now, i have an answer tonight for the skeptics and the naysayers, the dividers and the defenders of the status quo-- i have faith in us. i know, i know we can be the men and women our country calls on us to be tonight.

i believe in america and our history, and there's only one thing missing now-- leadership. it takes leadership that you don't get from reading a poll. you see, mr. president, real leaders don't follow polls. real leaders change polls. ( cheers and applause ) and that's what we need. that's what we need to do now. we need to change polls through the power of our principles. we need to change polls through the strengths of our convictions. tonight, our duty is to tell the american people the truth. our problems are big and the solutions will not be painless. we all must share in the sacrifice, and any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth. ( cheers and applause ) now, i think tonight-- i think

tonight of the greatest generation. we look back and marvel at their courage, overcoming the great depression, finding nazi tyranny, standing up for freedom around the world. well, now it's our time to answer history's call. for make no mistake, every generation will be judged, and so will we. what will our children and grandchildren say about us? will they say we buried our heads in the sand? we aswained ourselveses with the d,eature comforts we acquired, sat our problems were too squig we were too small, that someone else should make a difference because we can't. or will they say of us that we stood up and made the tough choices that needed to be made to preserve our way of life. you see, i don't know about you, but i don't want my children and grandchildren to have to read the history books what it was like to live in an american century. i don't their only inheritance to be an enormous government that overtaxed, overspent, and overborrow a great people into second-class citizenship. i want them to live in a second

american century, a second american century. ( cheers and applause ) a second american century of strong economic growth where those who are willing to work hard will have good-paying jobs to support their families and reach their dreams, a second american century, where real american exceptionalism is not a political punchline. when it's evident to everyone in the world just by watching the way our government conducts its business every day and the way americans live their lives, a second american century, where our military is strong, our values are sure, our work ethic is unmatched, and our constitution remains a model for anyone in the world struggling for liberty. ( cheers and applause ). let us choose a path that will be remembered for generations to

come, standing strong for freedom will make the next century as great an mench century as the last one. you see, this is the american way. we have never been victims of destiny. we have always been the masters of our own. and i know, i know you agree with me on this-- i will not be part of the generation that fails that test, and neither will you. ( cheers and applause ) it's now time to saund. let's stand up! everybody stand up! stand up! because there's no time left to waste. if you're willing to saund with me for america's future, i will stand up with you. if you're willing to fight with me for mitt romney, i will fight with you. if you're willing to hear the

truth, to hear the truth about the hard road ahead and the rewards for america, that truth will bear, i'm here to begin with you, this new era of truth telling tonight. we choose path that has always defined our nation's history. tonight we finally and firmly answer the call that so many generations have had the courage to answer before us. tonight we stand up for mitt romney as the next president of the united states and together-- ( cheers and applause ) and together-- and together, everybody, together we will stand up once again for american greatness for our childrenan